Liberty...And Justice for All (12 page)

“It slipped,” I mumbled. “My hands were sweaty.”

“They were actually pretty gross,” Catherine agreed. I glared at her and she gave me her signature fake smile in return. “How about that drink?” She said to her father.

He held back a smile and waved the guards away. “We’ll check back in with you in a few minutes.” He let them go ahead of us down the dark hall. I tucked the gun into the waist of my skirt and loosened my shirt in the back to cover it, then followed the others back to the bar. Through the crowd, I thought I felt someone’s eyes on me. I turned to my right and the dancer with the long, inky hair was watching me, her eyes blazing.

She knew. Somehow, she knew.

Fuck
, I thought, my mind racing. We grabbed one of the few empty tables and Corey went to get us drinks. “John, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said. “See the dancer to the left of the stage? Long black hair?”

He nodded.

“She knows we were following her. And she’s doing something bad. So we need to…take her out of the equation. At least for the time being.”

John and Catherine were both watching my face. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean we need to
take
her. Tonight. Otherwise, she’s going to rat me out. John, there’s something really bad going on here. They’re taking clients, doping them up, stealing from them and dumping them. She’s working with someone from the outside. It could be the Freemans. And now that she knows I know, I’ll never be able to get back in here and find anything out.”

“That suits me just fine,” John said, not looking at me.

“Dad, don’t be like that,” Catherine said. “We watched her just shoot someone up and rob him. Then she had her guys come in—they were gonna drop him off in a parking lot somewhere.”

I knew Catherine was really making an effort: she’d called him Dad. I held my breath and crossed my fingers.

“What am I supposed to do with her? Bring her back to the Byzantine and lock her in a room?”

Catherine and I just stared at him.

“Who is gonna babysit her?” John asked.

“Have Matthew fly out here instead of back home,” I said. “He’ll be happy to stay away from my relatives for a little bit longer. Plus, he’ll be psyched to babysit a stripper, especially one with a dark side.”

“I might volunteer for that,” Corey said, coming back with drinks. Catherine looked slightly put-out, but then the look was gone, leaving me wondering if I’d imagined it.

“Ha ha,” John said, flatly. He looked pissed but resigned. The fact that Catherine had called him dad had tipped the balance in my favor.

It was clear to me in that moment. Even though I’d said I’d wanted to leave this life behind, I was getting deeper and deeper. No one was making me do this but me.

“I’ll go tell Tony. I’ll tell him to keep his mouth shut. Be ready. We’re going to have to just take her, now that she’s seen us all together.

“I’ll ask Tony for an extra shirt and some, er, pants. We can’t bring her into the hotel looking like that,” John continued. “We’re gonna have to take her out through that side door, where the cameras aren’t working. No one else on staff here can know about this. Not security, not the girls. Liberty and Catherine, go get in the car and have the driver bring it around. Tell him we’re on assignment and that he needs to do exactly what you say. Wait in the alley on the other side and leave the car running, lights off. Corey, you stay here. Watch her,” he said, tilting his head in the general direction of the dancer.

“If she makes a move, secure her.” John left immediately, muscling his way back through the crowd to Tony’s office.

I hadn’t looked at the woman again. I was afraid the guilt would be so plain on my face that she’d know we were plotting to kidnap her momentarily. I knocked back my drink and Catherine raised her eyebrows at me.

“Nerves,” I mumbled.

“Give me a hug goodbye and act normal,” Corey said, pulling me into his arms. “You look like you’re about to pop, and we have eyes on us.”

“What’s she doing?” I asked, leaning into him.

“Shaking her ass in some guy’s face and watching us,” Corey said. “Go. Now.”

“How’re you going to get her away from her client and get her out of here?” I asked.

“I’ll figure something out. Just be there.”

Catherine and I walked out of the club. I felt an urge to run to the car but I didn’t; I didn’t know what the woman thought, or if she’d called someone.

The parking lot was packed but our driver saw us right away, pulling up smoothly to the curb. I waited to freak out until I was inside.

“Um…hi?” I said to him. “My name’s Liberty Quinn, by the way. This is Catherine.”

“Nice to formally meet you, Mrs. Quinn. You too, Catherine. My name’s Marcus. Now where can I take you ladies? Am I going to come back for Mr. Quinn and his associate?”

“Actually, we’re going to pick them up. Around the corner. In the alley. We’re sort of…on assignment.”

“Very good, Mrs. Quinn, very good,” he said. “And just so you know, I’ve driven for Mr. Quinn before. So I know his assignments can be a little…”

“Messy?” Catherine offered, straightening her dress.

“I was going to say exciting,” Marcus said. “But messy works, too.”

Marcus maneuvered the limo around the building to the alley. It was going to be a tight fit for the big car. “Do you want to stay back on the street?” I asked.

“Nah, we got this,” he said, and eased the car down the dark alley. I had the feeling of a mouse being swallowed whole by a snake.

The door to the club burst open and Corey came out, the stripper struggling in his arms, still wearing only her glitter thong.

“Oh boy,” Marcus said. He jumped out and opened the door. Corey didn’t say a word as he threw the woman into the car, practically on top of us. He took the safety off his gun and pointed it at her as Marcus closed the door and then the door to the club, looking around for signs of trouble. I wrapped my hand over her mouth and prayed she didn’t try to bite me.

“Where to, Mrs. Quinn?” Marcus asked, not missing a beat, when he was back behind the wheel.

“Back around front. We have to get John,” I said. The stripper shot me a filthy look from behind my hand clamped over her face.

“No problem,” he said.

“Marcus, I’m gonna put the divider up—not because I don’t trust you, but to protect you,” I said.

“I appreciate that, Mrs. Quinn. Let me know if you need anything.”

Before I took my hand off her mouth, I motioned to Corey’s gun. “Keep that on her.” I turned back to the woman. “I’m taking my hand off, now. But you aren’t to speak unless it’s to answer a question. If you scream, or do anything stupid, he’s going to shoot you. Okay?” She nodded, but what I could see of her face she sure looked pissed.

“Can we get her some clothes, please?” Catherine asked, wincing. “I don’t need to see a bad boob job like that.”

The stripper started towards her, like she was gonna grab her, but I pulled her back. “That one’s obnoxious,” I said, motioning to Catherine. “But you still can’t touch her.”

Corey took off his jacket and I released the woman and handed it to her. She put it on in a huff. “I had these done by the best surgeon in town,” she said, pointing at her breasts and looking at Catherine.

“What town—Tijuana? ‘Cause I lived down there for a while, and I’m telling you, they do bad boobs,” Catherine said, sniffing at her. “But whatev. You’re happy with them, go you. Live and let live, and all.” She went back to examining her nails and I saw the woman inhale deeply. She was probably counting backwards from ten.

I knew the feeling.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Shawna,” she said. “And you’re fucked. You picked up the wrong girl.”

“Why’s that?” Corey asked.

“Because I have friends. Powerful friends.”

“Huh,” Corey said, sounding uninterested.

“Don’t act like you don’t care,” Shawna said. “I saw you all bumbling out of that hall after I was down there.”

“I don’t bumble,” Catherine said. “She might,” she jerked her thumb at me, “but don’t include me in that, BB.”

“BB?” Shawna asked.

“
Bad Boobs
,” Catherine said, her eyes twinkling with gleeful malice.

“Well, thanks for the nickname…RC,” Shawna said.

“Excuse me?”

“RC.
Rotten Crotch
,” Shawna said, raising her own eyebrow back at Catherine. “Yours is past its expiration date. I can tell just by lookin’ at ya. No wonder you’re so cranky.” She gave her a big, fake smile and Catherine looked like she wished laser beams could shoot out of her eyes and vivisect Shawna’s face.

Corey coughed loud, probably trying not to laugh, and Shawna turned to me. “Now, what’s your problem? Why am I here and when’re you gonna let me go?”

“I don’t know. I’m just the hired help,” I mumbled, bouncing my knee up and down, waiting for a glimpse of John through the tinted window. We were idling at the curb in front of the club. I hoped that the bouncer didn’t come out and ask us to circle the block; I didn’t want Shawna to have the opportunity to scream for help.

“Why don’t you tell me about what you did to that guy earlier? Your date?” I asked.

“I didn’t do anything. Dude got what he wanted and left through the back door.”

Catherine snorted. “He got
carried
through the back door. By two large guys. While he was passed out. Does that ring a bell?”

Shawna shook her head,
no
. “Not ringing a bell, RC. Not ringing a bell.”

“You better watch your mouth,” Catherine said. “Otherwise, I’m going to ask to be in charge of you. You probably won’t like that.”

Shawna gave her a dirty look but was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. I would tell her later, if I had the chance, that Catherine
really
sucked as a babysitter. At that moment, Catherine lit a cigarette and I shivered, remembering.

Catherine shot me a look. “Don’t be such a baby,” she said. “You’re still in one piece.”

I just opened my eyes wide and looked at Shawna, sending her a mental note:
You should be scared. Maybe tone down the RC thing.

Although I couldn’t wait to tell Matthew about it.

John came striding out and I opened the privacy window. “Don’t get out to get him,” I said. “I’ll let him in.”

“Yes ma’am,” Marcus said. I opened the door and John slid in.

“Open the God damned window,” he snapped at Catherine, who’s cigarette smoke was clouding the interior of the car.

“Don’t say a word,” Corey said to Shawna, still pointing the gun at her.

John held out his hand to shake hers. “John Quinn,” he said. She took it tentatively. I could only imagine what she thought of our little group. “You’re going to be our guest for a little while. So relax. And behave. Otherwise, you’ll go from guest to prisoner to worse pretty quick.”

“I’ll be good, as long as she’s not in charge of me.” Shawna pointed to Catherine. “Promise me.”

John smiled at her. “I promise. But if you act up, she’ll be named head babysitter.”

“You totally don’t want that,” I said.

Shawna nodded her head in agreement. “I totally don’t want that.”

B
ack at the Byzantine
, we all moved rooms, staying next to each other but getting a bigger suite for Corey, Catherine, Shawna and eventually Matthew. Shawna was locked securely in her own room, which had a luxurious en-suite bathroom and an enormous flatscreen television.

“Could be worse,” she’d said to me, as I was getting her settled. We’d stopped at Target and bought her some clothes, toiletries, and all sorts of magazines and snacks. We’d driven around back to see if her ‘date’ from earlier in the evening had been left in the parking lot, but he was nowhere in sight.

“It’s going to be worse, if you don’t cooperate,” I said. “I’m the nice one. I’m telling you the truth.”

“I can’t tell you anything,” she said. “They’ll kill me.”

“John can protect you,” I said. “So think about it. You’re with us, now. We’re not letting you go until you tell us what we need: who you’re working with, who else in the club is in on it, and what you know about Mia.”

“I don’t know anything about Mia, except what Tony told us. That she’s alive. That the Freeman cartel has her. That we’re not allowed to deal at the club anymore.”

“But I know you still have drugs—I saw you shoot that guy up.”

Shawna shrugged. “I do what I have to do.”

“You don’t have to hurt people and steal from them,” I said.

She looked at me defiantly. “You know how many guys I’ve had beat me up? Take my money?” She held my eyes. “I don’t feel bad about what I did. That dude was married. I looked in his wallet. He has two little kids. He was paying me to blow him. I’ll happily spend his money and let him spend the night out under the streetlights.”

“Who were those men you called? We have your cell, Shawna. We’re going to be able to track them down pretty quick.”

She turned from me and clicked on the television. She flipped until she found some reality show about female wrestlers and the men who love them. “You do that,” she said. “You track them down. And good luck to you.”

“
H
ey
, Ian. It’s Liberty,” I said, a little while later. I hadn’t spoken to him in two days and it was making me anxious.

“Hello, dear,” he said. “I talked to John earlier. He seems thrilled that you’re out there.”

“Yeah, it’s been good…that part, anyway,” I said.

“You okay?”

“It’s just a little intense. And I think I’m going to be getting more involved. If John lets me. So I won’t be back tomorrow—Matthew’s coming out here, too. You okay by yourself?”

He laughed. “Do you remember that pack of guys living across the lawn from me? I haven’t been alone once. Michael’s been coming up every night, making his famous margaritas. We’ve been watching the Bruins.”

I still hadn’t figured out Boston sports. The Bruins were always on, it seemed. As were the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Celtics. They never took a break. Like, not even in July, when you should certainly not be playing hockey. And my husband should certainly not be making me watch hockey.

But that was another story.

“Okay, good. Have you heard anything from Alexandra or anyone else?”

“Alexandra called, just to check in. She sounded fine. I didn’t tell her anything.”

That’s because there was nothing to tell. I owed Alexandra a call but I didn’t know what to say… That I felt guilty and sick about the necklace case? That I didn’t know how to proceed, so I was just letting it sit there…festering, like a mildly infected wound? That it was going to get a whole lot worse if I didn’t do something about it soon?

I knew that, but I still felt paralyzed.

“Did you put up your profile on the dating website yet?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I’ll tell you when you get back,” he said, and I could almost hear the twinkle in his eye.

“Ian—you’re holding out on me!” I said.

“No dear, I’d just prefer to tell you about it face to face. Now you take care, my dear. Don’t get hurt—and please, listen to my son. If there’s too much trouble out there, you two just come home and live happily ever after. Okay?”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

I felt like I should have been crossing my fingers behind my back.

“
A
lexandra called Ian
,” I told John, later.

“Are you going to call her?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged while I paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Vegas glittered beneath me, jewel-like. I was so far above my old life here, it was like I was in another city, another country. Not the sweltering, piss-scented world I’d lived in before.

I looked at John. “I don’t know who stole the necklace. I don’t know who wrote me that note. Most of all, I don’t know what the hell to do about any of it.”

“Do you want to go back to try and figure it out, babe?” He asked, sounding almost hopeful.

I resumed pacing. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. John, you need my help with this case. Either I go in and find Mia, or you start another war with a drug lord and his army. Do you really want to do that?”

“I vastly prefer that to you getting naked in a strip club, asking for drugs, then probably getting kidnapped. Yes. I would rather have all the guys come down and blow shit up.”

I stopped and we looked at each other, face to face. “If we’re going to be a team, and we’re going to keep this business going, then you’re going to have to let me work beside you. And take risks.” John stared at me, impassively. “I’m not saying that I need to be on the front line with the rest of the guys, or in the jungle, shooting people and blowing things up. Maybe I could work up to that,” I said, and he winced.

“But that’s not what I’m talking about right now. Right now, I’m talking about using what
I
can offer to help. My age, my looks, the fact that I’ve worked in the industry, and the fact that nobody knows who I am.

“Let me help this woman. She’s not gonna last much longer.”

John sat down on the bed, looking past me out the window. “Why do you want to do this, Liberty? Are you trying to prove something to me?”

“I told you. I just want to help this woman. Just like you do.”

“I thought you wanted, more than anything, to get away from danger. Why are you taking that back?” he asked.

“I’m not taking it back, John…it’s just that I want us to do the right thing.
I
want to do the right thing.”

“Doing the right thing almost got you killed several times on our last adventure, if I remember correctly,” he said.

“The key word is
almost
, babe,” I said.

John pinched the bridge of his nose: never a good sign. “I can’t deal with you
almost
getting killed, okay? That’s not acceptable.”

“I’ll be okay…you’ll make sure I’m okay.” He looked at me bleakly. “It’s fate, John. This happened for a reason. I’m here to help you. I can save Mia. Just give me the chance.”

“You’re using my own words against me,” he said, looking a little hurt.

“No, I’m not—I’m understanding your perspective and looking at it the way you might,” I said. “I’m adopting your tactics.”

“Sometimes you scare me a little,” John said.

“Huh?” I said. “Why?”

“Because I can’t say no to you. And you have some crazy fucking ideas.”

“Well, that’s why they call it unconditional love,” I said, patting his hand. “You love me even though some of my ideas are…outside the box. And I love you even though you blow things up for a living and shoot people—and beat them, sometimes—and your daughter’s a pit-viper. In Chanel. I love you so much I even
rescued
her pit-viper ass for you. That’s unconditional love.”

“Babe,” John said, and pulled me to him.

“What?”

“Stop talking.”

I
called
Matthew first thing the next morning. “Can you fly out here?” I asked.

“What about your family?” He asked, chomping through what sounded like an enormous bite of his breakfast. “We gotta get going on that.”

“I know. But remember what the thief said? He wasn’t going anywhere. He was just gonna wait until I showed up, then tear me limb from limb. I’m okay with him waiting. There’s some time-sensitive stuff going on out here.”

“Something has an expiration date?” He asked.

“Something or someone,” I said. “Plus, we have a…guest, now. We could use an extra set of hands.”

“I’m not babysitting,” Matthew said, through another mouthful of food. “If I come to Vegas, I’m getting in on the action. Tell Corey to babysit.”

“Corey’s already babysitting.”

“Tell him to be a big boy and just deal with it. I’m his superior. He can hang with the kids—I’m doing the big boy stuff.”

“I’ll let you tell him,” I said.

“Works for me,” Matthew said, still stuffing his face.

John was at the gym, lifting, and Corey and Catherine were next door. Corey was doing pushups and Catherine was painting her nails. Shawna was in her room, watching some sort of
Real Housewives
marathon.

I knocked on her door and went in. “How are you? Do you need anything?” I asked.

“Can I order more room service?” She asked, yawning.

“Sure,” I said, taking a look around the room. She’d only been here for eight or so hours, but it was a mess: clothes balled up and thrown on the floor, the bed rumpled, empty chip bags scattered all over. The
Housewives
blared in the background.

I bit my lip and watched her flip through the menu, not a care in the world.

“Shawna…”

“Hmmm?” She asked, not paying any attention to me.

“I’m glad that you’re making yourself comfortable…and that you don’t seem afraid…but if you don’t cooperate, I’m gonna have to send Bad Cop in,” I said.
Because clearly, Good Cop was not getting results, and was not threatening enough.
“Okay?”

“Not okay,” Shawna said, peering at me over the room service menu. “I’ve been through a lot, Liberty. It’s okay to be nice to me.”

“Is it going to
get
me anywhere?”

“Nah,” she said, going back to the menu. “But nothing else is, either.”

I sighed and left, locking the door behind me.

“She seems to be taking this well,” Catherine said, loftily.

“I don’t treat my prisoners like you treat yours,” I said, glaring at her.

“But you’re not getting anywhere, either.” Catherine tossed me a pack of Marlborough Lights. “Here, try these. I have more.”

“You really are shameless.”

“So I’ve been told,” she said, and gave me a small smile. “Actually, can I have those back?”

I gave her a small smile back, then put the box on the floor and smashed it with my sneaker. Then I reached down and handed her the crumpled box. “Sure,” I said.

She raised her eyebrow and took it from me. “Gee thanks, Liberty.”

I tossed my hair and stomped out. Then I remembered we had work to do, and I stuck my head back in. “Matthew will be here this afternoon,” I said, and Corey looked up at me from his pushup.

“Good,” he said. “He can watch
Real Housewives Atlanta
with our friend.”

I just nodded at him so I didn’t have to lie. I would let Matthew deal with it.

“Your Highness,” I said, nodding at Catherine. “I’m going to The Treasure Chest at ten if you want to come with me.”

“I’ll go,” she said. “Better than sitting here watching Corey exercise.”

“I thought you said I was cute,” Corey said, and I could tell he was extra-flexing because we were talking about him.

“You are cute. Doesn’t mean I want to cheerlead you through your morning routine.” She turned to me. “I’m surprised you’re not at the gym with John, waving your pompons while he hauls barbells around.”

I gave her a nasty smile. “Maybe I’ll go down and do that before we go. Because I love your dad, and I love to watch him flex his huge muscles.” Catherine wrinkled her nose. “It’s
hot
.”

She winced and I gave her one final smile:
I won.

“See ya in a bit,” I called.

J
ohn was wearing
a tank top and doing bicep curls with enormous barbells. His muscles were inflated, engorged, and his veins popped out close to his skin.

Just like one of Pavlov’s dogs, my mouth pooled with drool when I saw him like that. It happened every time.

“Hey babe,” he said, putting his equipment down and giving me a quick kiss. The Byzantine’s gym was state of the art, every piece of equipment new and gleaming. I hoped I never saw it again. This was Vegas. And in Vegas, you should be able to do what you wanted. Like eat macaroni and cheese. And sit by a pool, next to your hot husband. But since neither of those things were going to happen, I decided to reward myself with skipping the gym.

“Catherine and I are going to go to The Treasure Chest,” I said. “I thought maybe I could talk to some of the girls about Fierce, see if they’ve heard anything. Is that okay?”

“Well, I’d prefer it if Corey went with you,” John said. “I have to meet with some officers this morning, to talk about the dealers. They’ve agreed to share what they know about their compound in exchange for me telling them what I’ve learned about their operations.”

“When are you going to tell
me
what you’ve learned about their operations?”

“This afternoon. I’ll brief everybody once Matthew gets here,” John said.

“Okay. But John—Corey can’t come with us. He has to watch Shawna.”

John just gave me a long look. “I don’t want you going out by yourselves.”

“You let us go shopping yesterday,” I reminded him.

“The Bellagio’s a little different than The Treasure Chest. No offense—you know I love me some Treasure Chest.”

“We’re just going to go talk to the girls, and maybe Alex if he’s there.”

John raised his eyebrows; Alex was hardly his favorite person. I raised my hand, as if to stop him from flipping out. “He won’t touch me, John. He probably won’t even smile at me, after the way you threatened him the last time we were there.”

“He better not,” John said, picking his barbell back up. “Tell him I said hi, and that I’m in a foul mood, just in case. I’ll send Marcus with you. I’ll tell him this is a driving and security detail.”